A common complaint of woman and men with long hair is that it takes too long to dry and style their hair. A hair dryer is typically employed to speed up drying, but this is often disadvantageous as high temperature drying can damage the hair. Additionally, a hair dryer is not always convenient to use. Thus, there is a need for a hair styling implement that reduces the time to style and dry hair thereby decreasing the time the hair is exposed to the heat of a hair dryer, which in turn reduces hair damage. There is also a need to provide a convenient means to dry hair that does not require a cumbersome device or a source of electric power.
Hair brushes and combs for drying and styling hair are known in the art. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,042 discloses a brush for drying hair. The brush has a hollow interior and the bristles of the brush pass through a non-woven fabric sheet of water absorbent material.
Japanese 09-7362446 discloses a water-absorbing comb which can absorb water from wet hair and can also be used to apply product to the hair without staining the user's hands. The comb is comprised of a water absorbing part and a reinforcing part that clasps the water absorbing part from both sides. A reinforcing part is employed to give the comb teeth rigidity.
Japanese 04-215707A discloses a water absorbing/drying hair-brush where the bristles of the brush are embedded in a water absorbing element aggregate body.
Japanese 04-1900725A discloses a water-absorbing brush for grooming animals. The brush bristles are disposed on the side edge of an outer case in which are fitted water-absorbing elements having saw-toothed exposed ends.
Japanese 03-212208A provides a water-absorbing material of a nonwoven fabric on the surface of the tines of a brush.
Japanese 02-234730A provides a water absorbing core member made of a resin porous water absorbing core material disposed around a center shaft connected to a handle. The brush bristles extend radially from the water absorbing core member.